Dictraitor for Life
by Alcyone Fletcher
Summary: Updated! After more than a year. Chapter 8: New developments take place. Being a fugitive from G.R.O.S.S. now a rather large organization doesn't sit well with Calvin at all.
1. Weirdoes from Another Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody.  The idea for this story came from the Review Guy.

            Calvin stared at the test paper.  "2+6."  He stared at it harder.  Nothing.  His head went blank.  In desperation, he poked Susie, who was sitting across the aisle.  "Psstt!  Hey Susie, what's the answer for number 5?"

            "10,000." Susie replied without even looking at him.

            "Um... what's the answer for number 6?"

            "A gazillion."

            "Number 7?"

            "A billion."

            It was lunch.  Susie tried to hold down an urge to throw up when Calvin claimed that he was eating snail sandwich garnished with kitty litter.  "Want a bite?"

            "Calvin!  That's gross!"

            "Really, it's good." Calvin held up the sandwich in front of her.

            "EWW!  MISS WORMWOOOOD!"

            When Miss Wormwood  gave back the test papers, Calvin stared in disbelief.  He had gotten a D-.  Each of his answers for numbers 5, 6, and 7 were crossed out.  

            Calvin scowled at Susie.  She was smirking happily at him, showing him the A printed on her paper.  "I'm going to get you for this, Susie."

            Calvin sat on his bed, putting.  Next to him lay Hobbes, lazily reading a comic book.  

            "I just can't believe it.  I hate Susie, that rotten, no-good, stinking..." Calvin clenched his teeth.  "There's got to be some way to get rid of her."

            "I have an idea." Hobbes said.

            "Yeah?"

            "First, I want to see a can of salmon."

            Later that day, Susie was walking near Calvin's tree house.  Suddenly, she saw a stuffed kitten hanging from a rope attached to the tree branch.  As she grabbed the cat, the rope slipped and a whole bucket of mud came pouring down.

            Calvin peered down from his tree house.  "Having a good time, Susie?  Ha! Ha!"

            As he watched Susie fume and run for her house, Calvin and Hobbes rolled on the floor of the tree house, laughing.

            'Whew," Calvin said when they calmed down.  "We should do this more often." 

            Hobbes stared in surprise at his head.

            "What are you staring at, fuzzball?" Calvin said.

            "When did you get a green halo around your head?"

            ""A HALO!???  GET IT AWAY!" Calvin dashed across the tree house.  The green circle of light remained where it was.  Suddenly, out of it popped three men in strange clothes.  One of them carried a blaster.  Each of them had on the same type of hat used in G.R.O.S.S.

            They looked around in bewilderment.  Then they looked at Calvin and gave a shout.  "It's him!"

            Calvin gulped nervously.  "Uh, who are you guys?"

            "You are the founder of our secret society!" The men fell on their knees.   

            "You mean G.R.O.S.S.?"

            "Yes, great one.  We have already destroyed a number of girls.  Oh, and this is the sacred tiger which we use for our ceremonies!" They looked respectfully at Hobbes, who was leaning on the wall.

            Calvin blinked.  Then he smiled.  "Yes!  YES!  At last!  You, my followers, must destroy a wicked girl named Susie Derkins.  Go, my faithful minions!"

            "Uhh... sir, I'm afraid we cannot." The man with the blaster stood up and said.

            Calvin frowned.  "Why not?   I am the great supreme dictator for life Calvin!  You must obey me!  Bow to me!"

            "I regret to tell you that... you are dicTRAITOR for life."

            "WHAT!  I am not!"

            "Dictraitor to be."

            "NO!  NEVER!"

            "And I must, under the laws of G.R.O.S.S., execute you, though regretfully."

            Calvin leaped back.  "NO WAY!  HELP!"

            The man aimed his blaster.  He fired.

            R&R!  


	2. Mom never understands

Disclaimer: I don't own anybody, and I didn't come up with the idea.   Ok?  Let's go!

The man missed by an inch, and Calvin scrambled down the rope ladder as fast as he could, clutching Hobbes.  He fell to the ground and skinned his knee, but he ignored the pain and ran on.  When the tree house was out of sight, he sighed and wiped his sweat off.  "That was close, huh Hobbes?"

"I dunno," Hobbes said.  "The did revere me and give me the title I've wanted for years.  Sacred tiger!  Yow wow!"

"Stupid fleabag!  That's all you think about.  Would you be surprised if you heard that I was about to be assassinated by one of the members of MY club?  Those darn traitors!"

            Hobbes rolled his eyes.  "Oh, I thought you were Mr. Dictraitor to be!"

            "That's what you think, you rotten fuzzball!  Why would I betray my own club?  Heck, I detest girls!"

            "Ooh, an insult, eh?  Well, you deserved it!  HA!" Hobbes yelled and punched him in the stomach.

            "That's it!" Calvin screamed.  "I, as supreme dictator for life, declare you null and void!  You are expelled from G.R.O.S.S.!"

            "I have a higher rank than you!  I am 'the sacred tiger' while you're only a dictraitor for life.  So there!" Hobbes stuck his tongue out.

            Calvin jumped on Hobbes.  They struggled furiously.  Then, suddenly...

            "There he is!" The three men were standing right in front of them.  The man pointed the blaster at Calvin again.  "Don't move, sir.  I am only doing this for the sake of G.R.O.S.S." 

            "Yikes!" Calvin jumped again and scurried away.

            "After him!" 

            The men grabbed Hobbes.  They rushed out of the alley.

            Calvin flung open the door and darted into his house.  "MOMMMMMMM!"

            "Calvin, would you stop that infernal screaming?"

            "I'm going to die!   They'll kill me!"  Just then, he realized another thing.  "OH NO!!!  I left Hobbes!  Mom!  Make them give him back!"

            "Oh, great..." Calvin's mom sighed.  This was one of THOSE days.

            The next morning...

            "But Mom, I can't go to school!"

            "Why?"

            "The guys from the future will kill me!"

            "Listen Calvin, we've gone over this last night.  Time travel is impossible."

            "Oh yeah?  Then you come with me and see for yourself!"

            "Calvin, I'm very busy this morning.  Go by yourself."

            Soon, Calvin was standing by the bus stop..

            "I'll bet Mom hired those guys to finish me off.  Then she'd be spared the trouble.  Humph." Calvin grumbled.

            Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

            "Don't move!"

To be continued

R&R!!!


	3. Miss Wormwood Doesn't Understand Either

Disclaimer: As I have said countless times before, I do not own anybody in this story.

Idea from the Review Guy. J

            "Augh!" Calvin screamed and jumped up.  There stood the captain of the men.  He was aiming the blaster right at him.  Behind were the other men.  One of them held Hobbes.

            "Don't move, I said!"

            Calvin ran behind the bus stop sign.  "You can't do this to your dictator!"

            "Oh, but we can, sir.  If you're a... TRAITOR!" The man pulled the trigger as he spoke, but the blaster beam glanced off the bus stop sign. 

            Just then, the bus arrived, and Calvin leaped in.  Susie had been standing behind the men, watching curiously.  They did not notice her.

The man ground his teeth and looked at the man holding Hobbes.  "Crow."

"Yes, sir?"

"Go to the meadow and prepare."

"For what?"

"In the event that we cannot catch the dictraitor, we are obliged to sacrifice the sacred tiger to the Spirit of G.R.O.S.S.  Now go."  The man's eyes glinted menacingly.

"Yes, sir."

            Calvin sat quietly in the bus, much to the surprise of Susie.  He looked unusually pale.

            "Calvin, what's wrong?"

Calvin did not answer.

            "CALVIN!" Susie yelled.

            "Huh?  Oh, hi."

            "You're not yourself today, Calvin.  You're so quiet.  You're not even trying to gross me out with something." Calvin turned toward her.  

"Not that I want you to," Susie added hastily.

"Shut up, Susie."

            Miss Wormwood gabbed on and on about how even second-graders had to know about very important things like the sum of 2 and 4, the dates of historical events, the location of Krakow, what the hypotenuse of a triangle was (err... maybe far-fetched)et cetera.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Calvin clutching his desk with white knuckles and staring outside.  

            "CALVIN!!!!  PAY ATTENTION!"

            Calvin stared sulkily down at his desk and sighed.

            Mrs. Wormwood continued.  "And so, Abraham Lincoln was a great man and..."

            Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  Mrs. Wormwood frowned and pulled it open.  "Yes?"

            As soon as Calvin saw the strangers, he ducked down under his desk.

            Miss Wormwood looked suspiciously at the men.  "What do you want?"

            "We must destroy the dictraitor..."

            Miss Wormwood slammed the door in his face.  "You are talking nonsense.  Get yourself to a psychiatrist.  Now class, who can tell me the name of the man who killed Abraham Lincoln?" She looked around the room and spotted Calvin under his desk.  "Young man, what do you think you are doing?"

            "Uh... heh heh... um... have you heard of the word 'assassins?'"

            "Calvin, I've had enough of..."

            "I mean, really!  Those guys were trying to kill me!"

            "I don't believe a word you said, Calvin."

            "Oh yeah?  Fine.  All I know is that if I die during school, you're going to be blamed for my death!  Your career's at stake, lady!"

            "Calvin, I want you to go to the principal's office.  Now."

            Calvin scowled and slowly slid off his chair.  Then, grumbling, he walked out of the classroom. 

            As Calvin stomped into his office, Mr. Spittle groaned.  "Not you again..."

            "So we're going through with this?  Are we really going to sacrifice the tiger?"  Crow asked the leader, Clark.

            "Yes- ... I mean, no.  We will wait another two days.  After all, the traitor must die."  

TO BE CONTINUED

R&R!

Thanks for the great reviews!


	4. The Sinister Evening

Disclaimer:  I don't own anybody.

            As the bus stopped at its usual stop, Calvin shivered.  He wasn't cold, but the mere thought of going walking the rest of the way home sent shivered down his spine.  The block he had to walk seemed a thousand miles longer. 

            Since it was winter, it was slightly darker than usual.  The sky was not the sunny light blue that he always saw and in the summer, but grayish-white.  Suddenly, a chilling breeze caressed his face.  He quickened his steps, looking around nervously for any signs of his pursuers.

            Finally, he walked up the steps to the door of his house.  He opened it and yelled, "I'm home!"  From habit, he braced himself for the onset of Hobbes, but suddenly realized that Hobbes was gone.  The men had gotten Hobbes.  The thought just made Calvin shiver again.  He stepped inside and closed the door.  Inside, his mom was cooking supper.  She looked curiously at him as he passed her and went up to his room.  He did not have the stuffed tiger with him as he used to.  He didn't complain about Hobbes jumping him, and he did not even have a speck of dirt on him.  It was strange.  Just then, she seemed to recall something about Calvin screaming that Hobbes was gone.  Calvin's mom shrugged.  "I guess he left him in the woods or something.  He'll find him tomorrow."  Then she realized that she had said 'him' about Hobbes and grinned sheepishly.

            Calvin sulked in his room.  Suddenly, he glanced out the window and thought he saw an orange speck in the dusky woods.  He rubbed his eyes and looked again.  The orange speck was moving.  Calvin's eyes opened wide.  "HOBBES!" He rushed downstairs, threw the door open, and sloshed across the think layer of snow that had started to accumulate.  There it was- the orange speck again.  Calvin ran toward it, and as he neared it, he could see black stripes over the orange.

            "Hobbes!"

            Suddenly, a dark figure materialized out of the trees.  He wore a brown suit that let him blend into the scenery.  "Good to see you again, SIR.." He smirked.  He was holding Hobbes in his arm.

            "You... you.. you're one of those men that were chasing me!"

            The man laughed a cold laugh.  "Lieutenant Crow, if you please."

            "Gimme back Hobbes!" Calvin shouted, mustering all his courage.

            Crow laughed again.  "Not so fast, Supreme Dictraitor for Life.  You must first do as I say."

            "Like what?"

            "First, you'll have to come with me." Crow said in his cold, featureless voice.

            "No way!" Calvin leaped back as the man extended a hand to grab his arm.

            "Never?"

            "Never!"

            Crow smiled unpleasantly.  "Ah.   If you choose to do so..." He paused and took out a sharp knife.  On its blade was carved many mysterious symbols, and the handle was engraved so as to resemble a bone.  "Do you know what this is?"

                        Calvin gulped and inched back slowly.  "Uh... a knife?"

                        "This is the sacrificial knife for the G.R.O.S.S. ritual.  You see, we sacrifice traitors, and since you are a traitor, you must be sacrificed.  But since you have avoided us successfully many times, and since G.R.O.S.S. members must have a heart of kindness, we shall sacrifice your tiger."

            "HOBBES?"  
            "Yes.  At this time tomorrow, Hobbes will be torn into five pieces, each representing the five classes of G.R.O.S.S."

            "Or?"

            "Or, you could come with us.  You and the tiger will both be saved if you agree to a few ... conditions."

            Calvin pondered the problem for a while.  Then he sighed heavily.  "I guess."

            The thin, cold smile spread across Crow's pale lips.  "Excellent.  Now come here."   He blindfolded Calvin and led him deeper into the forest.

To be continued

R&R!!!!


	5. Transport

Disclaimer:  I don't own Calvin and Hobbes.  Ingenious idea from the Review Guy.  And just in case the baddies' names correspond with your name, just remember that I don't know any of you and can't possibly even try to insult you about it.

            Calvin grumbled as he and the man walked through the woods.  "Take this darn handkerchief off!  I can't see!"

            Crow smirked.  "Exactly."

            Calvin could feel the fallen leaves shuffle under his shoes.  Suddenly, the ground got harder.  It felt like concrete.

            Calvin kept mumbling threats against Crow.  Suddenly, Crow stopped.  "You can remove the blindfold now."

            Calvin ripped it off his face and dropped it on the ground.  "It's about time."  He looked around.  He was in a clearing, and red rings of light were floating up from a green spot on the ground.  Ten stayed in the air at once before the top one disappeared and another one appeared from the bottom.  Each ring slowly expanded as it rose up into the sky and disappeared.

            Beside it stood Clark and the other man, Howard.

            "We finally got it to work, Crow." Clark said.  "And I see you've brought the dictraitor.  Good work."

            Crow looked pleased and pushed Calvin toward the strange rings.

            Calvin backed away.  "What is this?"

            "Get in it." Howard replied.

            "No way, you overweight creep.  It's going to kill me, right?"

            Clark narrowed his eyes and smiled unpleasantly.  "Howard, you get in."

            Without a word, Howard stepped in.  Nothing happened for a moment.  Then suddenly he began to melt away into air.  In a matter of seconds, he had completely disappeared.

            Calvin backed away further.  "I knew it!  What happened to Howard?"

            "Something that is going to happen to you… NOW!"

            Crow suddenly moved behind him and gave him a sharp shove.  Calvin stumbled.  He tried to keep his balance, but he couldn't stop.  The next moment, the red rings were encircling him.  Calvin tried to run, but he couldn't move.  He could not even scream.  His sight started getting blurry.  

Suddenly, his sight cleared and he saw that he was inside a tube of some sort.  The tube was an indescribable color Calvin had never seen.  He seemed to be going through it rapidly.  He tried to shift his direction, but somehow he couldn't even move his head.  Then, he saw a small blue spot ahead in the distance.  It expanded and engulfed him.  Calvin saw a brilliant blue flash and his whole body tingled.  Then the blueness disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Calvin blinked.  He was still standing in the portal, but the portal was in a cavern, not a clearing in the woods as the other one had been.  There was no sign of any living creatures.  He tried to move and found out that his limbs were now free to move.  He gingerly stepped out of the portal and into the cavern.  It was a large cavern, and his footsteps echoed as he walked.  Calvin looked up at the ceiling.  It was high.  Five thick lines proceeding out of a black circle was engraved on the ceiling.  It looked like a star.  The star shone brightly, illuminating the whole cavern.  The five lines were colored red, blue, green, purple, and gray, coloring the floor strangely.  The north, south, and east of the room were all solid walls, but the west side stretched out far into darkness beyond the reach of the light.

Calvin heard footsteps behind him and turned around.  There stood Clark and Crow.  Clark had his unpleasant, thin smile on his lips.  "So what do you think of our fine establishment, Calvin?"

            "Horrible," Calvin replied, but Clark ignored him.  He pointed to the ceiling.  "The circle with the five rays stands for the five classes of G.R.O.S.S."

            Calvin rolled his eyes.  "Who cares?"

            Clark glared menacingly at him.  "YOU care if you want the tiger safe."  He hissed sharply, leaning over Calvin.

            "OK, fine!" Calvin replied quickly.

            "Red is the highest class, then blue, green, purple, and gray respectively.  You will learn more of them soon."   Clark sounded gleeful, and his voice sent shivers down Calvin's spine.

He walked toward the north wall and pressed a differently-colored part of the wall.  There was a loud grinding noise, and a part of the rock wall slowly swung inwards.

To be continued

R&R!!!


	6. Calvinball

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Elvenking: Your review about Calvinball gave me an idea!!!  

            Crow entered through the doorway and motioned for Calvin to enter as well.  As soon as Calvin walked in, the door slammed shut with a resounding boom.

            Calvin and Crow were now standing in a long hallway.  There were ten doors in the wall numbered from 1 to 10, left to right.  At the end of the hallway was a large golden door 9 feet or so high.  

            "What is this place, scum?" Calvin asked and leaped back as Crow swiped at him.

            "Your insolence will be the death of you." He said in his flat, toneless voice.  "This is the Calvinball training compound."

            "Calvinball?  That's just a ball game!  What's the big deal?" Calvin sneered and immediately regretted it.

            Crow turned his pale eyes on him.  "It is a sacred ceremony, and all G.R.O.S.S. members must first learn its rules before he is initiated.  Rank 1 is the beginner level of Calvinball, and Rank 10 is the ultimate one.  Only by reaching the tenth rank can you become a high official of G.R.O.S.S."

            Calvin rolled his eyes as soon as Crow turned his back. 

            _Stupid.  Just stupid._

Crow walked to the end of the hallway and opened the golden door.  "Here is the Calvinball arena where you can compete against other G.R.O.S.S. members and earn rank."

            Calvin was getting tired of the instructional talk and yawned.  Crow glared at him.

            Inside the arena, four or five men were running about with balls in their hands.  Wickets stuck out of the ground and one man held a mallet, chasing a ball.

            "Score is 9 to N!" Someone cried.  Calvin looked at him and saw that he was Howard- and he had Hobbes in his arm.

            Without thinking, Calvin dashed into the arena and made for Howard.  Behind him, Crow was yelling at him to stop.  Calvin ignored him and ran.  Suddenly, a wicket caught his foot, which sent him sprawling on the ground.  As he painfully got up, Calvin looked behind him.  Crow was right behind him, stretching out a hand to grab his shirt.  Calvin ducked and jumped on Howard.

            The next thing he knew, Hobbes was at his side and they were sprinting down the hallway as fast as they could.

TO BE CONTINUED

R&R!!!!!!


	7. Their Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Calvin and Hobbes. Ask Bill Watterson.  
  
A/N: Special thanks to The Review Guy, Elvenking, and Jhomeboy!  
  
--------------  
  
Susie inhaled the air deeply. "Isn't it a perfect evening, Mr. Bun?" she asked the stuffed bunny she held under her right arm. Without a care in the world, she sauntered into the woods, eager for the fragrance of fir trees. This was the most peaceful evening she had spent in her entire life. She expected a mudball or pine cone to come zooming at her any second, but they never came. No sign of Calvin anywhere.  
  
No sign of humans anywhere, for that matter.  
  
No sound except for the crackling leaves underfoot....and the strange noise she had never heard before. A humming, whirling noise. What were those green glowing flashes dimly seeping through the trees?  
  
Abandoning all hopes of a peaceful evening, she hurried through the trees into the clearing. "Mr. Bun, look!" Susie said to the stuffed bunny, which, of course, gave her no response. "What do you think it is?" Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the green rings.  
  
------------------------  
  
Calvin and Hobbes dashed down the hallway toward the door at the end. Grasping the knob, Calvin yanked the door open. They slid in, closing the door. And was enveloped in complete darkness.  
  
Calvin felt around him. "See anything, Hobbes?"  
  
"Of course. We tigers have better eyesight than humans. We are a proud race and..."  
  
"Then stop your yammering and help me find another way outta here! Crow's going to come in here any minute!"  
  
Hobbes strained his eyes. "There's... a steel ladder right in front of you."  
  
"Where?" Calvin blundered forward and hit his head. "Never mind." He grabbed the rungs and began to climb.  
  
"Hurry up," Hobbes said anxiously. I hear Crow's footsteps right outside."  
  
Calvin swarmed up the ladder as fast as he could manage. Hobbes followed closely.  
  
Then the door burst open, flooding the small room with light. Crow ran inside. He quickly looked around and spotted Calvin and Hobbes on the ladder. "There you are! Stay where you are and I will not kill you!"  
  
With the last burst of energy, Calvin reached the top of the ladder and pushed the wooden lid open.  
  
Crow had begun to climb the ladder.  
  
Calvin hauled himself out, followed by Hobbes. Crow was nearly at the top. "Come back here!" he shouted, clawing wildly for Calvin's ankle. Standing up, Calvin slammed the lid closed. Hobbes quickly rolled a boulder onto it.  
  
"That was close," Calvin sighed and leaned onto the boulder. "But hey, we're outside."  
  
They were surrounded by jungle foliage. For as far as they could see, there were only trees.  
  
"Well, I hope you're happy, Hobbes!"  
  
Hobbes was already jumping deeper into the jungle, whistling happily.  
  
"Hey, wait for me!"  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Crow was in a sour mood. He not only had let the traitor escape, but the sacred tiger as well. How was he ever going to answer to the new Dictator? Scowling, he walked down the hallway to the Dictator-for-Life's office. He pressed the button that opened the door and entered.  
  
The new Dictator-for-Life had quickly assumed the position previously owned by Calvin. He already seemed comfortable in his new office.  
  
"What is it now, Crow?" the Dictator-for-Life asked, turning around and hiding a stack of comic books behind his back.  
  
"The traitor escaped with the sacred tiger." Crow replied emotionlessly.  
  
The Dictator glared at him furiously. "One more mistake like that, Crow, and I will demote you to Level 1. Now gather a bunch of men and start scouring the jungle! Every bit of it!" he turned his back to Crow and faced his desk again.  
  
Just then, the map on the wall began to beep. Crow stared at it. "There's an intruder in the Entrance Cavern," he said. "I will go take care of it." he left the room hastily.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Susie rubbed her eyes as the blue flash faded away. "Where am I?" She said to Mr. Bun again- this was becoming a habit. "Look, Mr. Bun. It's a huge cavern. Don't you hate this place? ...I don't even know where it is..." she fell silent, trying hard not to scream.  
  
Then part of the wall slid open and a man walked in.  
  
Susie stepped back nervously. "Who are you?"  
  
"Lieutenant Crow. You do realize that females are not allowed in here, don't you? ...which means you are under arrest."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. An Escape and a Capture

CHAPTER 8—in which not much action occurs, but sets the stage for Chapter 9, which (hopefully) is much better.

Author's Note: I'm sorry. I haven't written in…what, years? I've been busy with school, and such. Upperclassman-ship is simply insane. But I'm back! And now…

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CALVIN AND HOBBES, NOR ANYTHING ELSE THAT PERTAINS TO THE STRIP.

**Elvenking, Jhomeboy, and Dannor: **You guys still around? (I hope so.) Elvenking, I like your idea.

**AZ:** Your request has been duly noted and fed to my pet Balrog.

**Tacomaster:** No need to explode. The newest installment hath finally arrived. p

**Phycobabbler:** Nah, AZ didn't really bother me much. I'm guessing I kinda forgot about for a while. blames schoolwork Oh, and for the record, I'm female(not a dude. ;) )

**Mcekul: **I like that idea too. I might somehow merge it with Elvenking's idea.

- - -

"Let…GO!" Susie shrieked, kicking frantically at Crow's shins as he dragged her through the hallways. Not that her short legs were capable of spanning the distance to his, of course. Crow looked down at her in slight amusement. "Do you really think that's going to help? GIRL?" He gave a harsh pull and jerked her to his feet. "Get up. We're here." He stopped at the door at the end of the hallway and knocked.

"Come in."

Susie tightened her grip on Mr. Bun as Crow pushed the door open and pulled her inside. The room she saw was…unimpressive, at best. And tacky. On the walls were hung grisly murals depicting roadkill, humans mauled by tigers, and such—all of which looked like they had been drawn by a preschooler, Susie thought. They were framed in red, orange, or black. And in the center of the room sat a rather gangly man, a paper hat perched on his head. Tacky indeed.

"Good job, Crow," he said.

Crow smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. "Thank you."

Without success, Susie attempted to wrench her arm free again. "I'll…I'll tell my parents. I'll have them sue you! You'll be fined, and they'll throw you in—"

"Quiet!" the man on the chair snarled. "Crow, lock her in one of the storage rooms. I'll decide her fate later."

- - -

The farther they ran, the thicker the woods became. Calvin finally collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. "I'm hungry."

"Me too." Hobbes sat down next to him and rubbed his stomach. "I want a tuna sandwich."

Calvin grunted and rolled over.

After a while, Hobbes broke the silence. "I wonder if they have any tuna at the G.R.O.S.S. headquarters. I—"

"Oh no, you don't! Come on, there's got to be a city or something. Somewhere." Calvin lurched to his feet and began walking again. Hobbes followed wearily, muttering under his breath. _How completely idiotic._ The thought flashed across his mind for a moment. _Here I am, running from the very club I started._ He sighed, flicked a mosquito away, and concentrated once more on moving his legs. They seemed to grow heavier by each step he took. And his lungs felt ragged. If he wasn't going to die of starvation, he'd certainly exhaust himself to death first.

Calvin and Hobbes stopped after a few minutes and sat down again—when Hobbes's whiskers suddenly twitched. "Calvin?"

"What?"

"I smell something."

"Gosh. You're just imagining things. I hear you start hallucinating when you're starving to death…"

"My nose is never wrong." Hobbes retorted. "Let's see who's right." He sprang up and dashed off.

"Stupid tiger. …hey, wait!"

Countless bruises and cuts later, Calvin found Hobbes crouching behind a rock. "Well?"

"Look."

Calvin peered out from behind the rock. A large building stood where the trees and plants had been cleared out, and near it were several large vehicles that resembled trucks. Workers transported boxes and cans from the side wing of the building to the trucks. "I smell tuna…and PBJ. And…lots of…food…" Hobbes's eyes glazed over. "I'll bet this is where they process or can food or something."

"Maybe for G.R.O.S.S."

"Maybe. But come on, it's food we're talking about. Let's go around to the back and se if we can find anything."

Calvin slowly nodded.

Taking care to stay within cover of the trees, they skirted around the clearing. Hobbes loped on ahead of Calvin, who slowly began to lag behind. It irked Calvin, but he decided against yelling this time. The back of the building slowly grew visible. Several large windows were open, and this time he detected the aroma as well. Tuna had never smelled so good…

A yellow-orange streak zipped toward the building and back. The next moment, Calvin was dimly aware of Hobbes bowling him over and burying his face in the dirt. He sat up dizzily, trying to wipe the dirt off but spreading it all over his face in the process. "Mangy fuzzball," he hissed and lunged at Hobbes.

Hobbes leaped out of the way. "I thought you'd be happy to know that I've finally procured some food."

"Really?"

Grinning, Hobbes set two small boxes down on the ground. Calvin took it and looked inside to find several cans of tuna. The other contained some sort of beverage he was unfamiliar with. "I guess I'll have to put up with those," he finally said. "Now we need to figure out a plan."

"A plan for what?"

"For going back."

"Oh. Yeah…I miss our house, I guess…"

"Sheesh."

- - -

The storage unit was uncomfortable. The air was close and stuffy, and smelled of mildew. Susie had lost track of time already. They still had not fed her (she didn't know if they would, anyway), and she had not even heard a single sound outside. She found herself "conversing" with Mr. Bun to pass the time.

"Those were very nasty people, weren't they, Mr. Bun?"

"Mr. Bun, would you like some tea?"

"I hate this place. Don't you? …yes, I thought so. Do you have any idea how we could escape?"

"Oh yes, I think scraping on the walls with my nails is a wonderful idea! Mr. Bun, you're a—oh, I'm going crazy." Susie leaned back against the wall and swallowed a sob. "I wonder how long it'll take before I go completely insane."

The door slid open. Susie opened her eyes and was immediately disappointed to see Crow again.

"We've decided what to do with you," Crow said in that flat voice which Susie had quickly grown to hate. "Come with me."

-To be continued


End file.
